Copywriting Strategy for Small Business Owners – Demian Farnworth

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Who’s this Demian Farnworth guy?

Demian Farnworth is a writer. More than that, Demian is a writer’s writer – a guy who has traversed the path to professional penmanship and earned his stripes every step of the way.

For proof of Demian’s calling, consider these tidbits: His namesake is a famous protagonist conjured by Herman Hesse, AND Demian is an accomplished poet – a craft where every word counts.

He’s a no-fluff writer. He’s the real deal.

Enough braggadocio, though. You want to hear what this expert has to say. Here’s what he told On Track Tips concerning copywriting formulas. This stuff is golden:

Do small business owners really need a blog?

Blogs help build your audience by providing a non-traditional advertising method of informing, entertaining, and educating those you want to reach. In essence, a blog is a form of content marketing that allows you to become your own publisher, rather than having to pay someone else to publish messages on your behalf. A blog provides a powerful means of attracting the audience that needs your product or services.

Watch “Essential Copywriting Formulas Every Small Business Owner Should Know” on Youtube

How does blogging help with search rank?

The more content you publish about topics related to your products and services, the more likely you are to be found in organic search. Producing high-quality content on a consistent basis helps you become a recognized expert.

To build trust, you should combine blog content, social media content, and direct message emails to elevate your relationship with readers to a level of trust. That will give them the confidence to buy from you.

An excellent example of online influence: The Phoenix Real Estate Guy gained first-page ranking on Google by using his blog to break into the incredibly dense Phoenix real estate market. Others are paying big bucks for the keyword “Phoenix real estate,” while Thompson’s Realty claims prime position on the search engine results page (SERP) for free as a direct result of his aggressive blogging strategy.

One piece of the content production puzzle is figuring out how to balance quality and cost. According to Farnworth, there’s no rocket science here – it’s a simple case of “You get what you pay for.” Writers who work cheap have to churn out maximum volume – meaning your work gets minimum attention. The moral of the story is to either invest in a competent writer OR in a writing course to get your own penmanship skills honed.

Remember: The quality of your content reflects the quality of your business, and the writer you hire (or become) will reflect your professionalism.

TIP: If you can find a writer who is passionate about the work, but needs development – help that writer grow in the craft. If you need quality work NOW, hire a writer who can produce it. This is not the place to skimp on expenses. Your writer is a crucial part of your success.

TIP: With the advent of authorship markup, Google is sensitive not only to the content itself, but to the writer of that content. Maybe you’ll be able to find a writer who is skilled, but not well-known. By allowing that writer to claim authorship of the work, you provide value to the writer and may be able to leverage attribution in order to get a lower price.

How important is “authority” to blogging?

Authority is trust. It’s what someone needs to sell something – an idea, donation, consultation, anything. Someone with authority has proven their ability and understanding of the topic. The more authority your writers have, the more respect your website will gain. When someone with authority mentions you or your business in social media, you’re likely to see a significant bump in traffic.

Authority is passed on when influencers share your content.

Your enemies are “obscurity and neglect.”

If no one knows you exist (obscurity), great content is of little value. Neglect occurs when the quality of your content and website are not consistent.

Wise entrepreneurs optimize their sites, not only for search engines, but for readers.

You must make a connection and build a community of loyal advocates in order to win online.

The first step is to be found – to be known. Beyond that, though, you must offer substance.

What is the formula for the perfect blog post?

While there’s no sure-fire recipe for creating a post readers love, there are certain formulas:

1. The headline should make a promise. The goal is to attract attention and cause the reader to stop and take a look at the information that follows.
2. The first sentence and opening paragraph must maintain the reader’s attention and encourage further interest. Each section should draw the reader on to the next.
3. Subheads should cater to those who want to scan the article and gain an overall understanding of the content. As with the headline and introduction, however, the real purpose is to further draw the reader to interact with the content – to “seduce” them, if you will.
4. The conclusion should contain a call to action (CTA). Always know what you want the reader to do as a result of reading the post, and then ask them to do it.
5. This structure encompasses useful and meaningful information.

Another great formula is “the 4 P’s of Perfect Posting”:

1. Promise something (headline)
2. Paint the Picture by showing the reader what will happen when the Promise is fulfilled (body)
3. Demonstrate Proof through testimonials, endorsements, and credentials
4. Push the post with an appropriate CTA

How can you write better headlines?

Great content demands headlines that do it justice. Don’t write for search engines. Write your headlines for readers, and you will naturally develop material the search engines like. Anyone visiting your site wants to know one thing: “Why should I care?” You need to answer this question, or they’re gone.

Your headlines should compel people to dive in, read the article, and even share it to their social networks. To develop better headlines, keep the 4 U’s formula in mind. Headlines should be:

1. Useful
2. Ultra specific
3. Unique
4. Urgent

Headlines displaying at least three of those four attributes will pack the most punch.

How often does a business website need to post fresh content?

Frequency of content depends largely on your objective. Generally speaking, the more you post, the more traffic you will receive. However, you should never sacrifice quality in order to boost frequency. Factors to consider are:

• How much time or money you can devote to writing
• How much attention you need to draw
• The resources you have available
• The nature of your website or blog

A typical strategy is to post more articles in the beginning – to attract your audience – then to move towards longer, more meaningful (but less frequent) articles as the site develops. Popular sites often increase the number of writers in order to keep up with the demand for content.

How can I improve my own writing skills?

Like any other craft, your writing ability will grow in proportion to the amount of effort and attention you apply to learning. There are numerous books to help grow writers – and most are focused on the type of writing you want to pursue. Each specialty has its own peculiarities.

To develop your copywriting and article writing skills, try Copyblogger or The Copybot.

Demian writes for both (the latter is his personal blog). Those who are serious about writing will find plenty of help in the Authority membership program.

Of course, one can simply visit the local library and begin reading the masters. Here are the eight books, Demian Farnworth says can change your perspective on what good writing looks like:

1. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
3. Tested Advertising Methods (Prentice Hall Business Classics) – John Caples
4. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor O. Schwab
6. Ogilvy on Advertising (Vintage) – David Ogilvy
7. Advertising Secrets of the Written Word – Joe Sugarman
8. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) – Dr. Robert Cialidini

(All the links above are Amazon Affiliate links)

To find out more about Demian, read his autobiographical  series: The Education of a Writer.

What was your favorite takeaway? Tell me in the comments below.

About Don Sturgill

Writer, Dreamer, Believer. Friend of Entrepreneurs, Don Sturgill is a freelance writer, conversion specialist, and the author of Roadmap to Freedom (Dream Into It), the field manual that helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality - fast. Don is from Bend, Oregon, blogging capital of the world. His home on the web is at donsturgill.com.